The present invention relates to a trash compactor and particularly to an extrusion type compactor such as used, for example, in apartment buildings.
In multistory apartment buildings, for example, trash is often deposited in a chute that delivers it to a trash room on the ground floor from which it's collected. Not only is the loose trash unsightly and apt to have a foul odor, but handling it when its removed from the trash room is also time-consuming and therefore expensive--as well as unpleasant and exposes the operators to sanitary risks. Household trash also includes many items such as empty food cartons that are bulky and thus increase the volume of the trash which, in turn, tends to fill the trash room more quickly and to require larger trash rooms or more frequent handling to remove it.
Trash compactors not only significantly reduce the volume of the trash that must be handled, but also provide a convenient and effective means for introducing the trash into bags which are easier to store and handle, which confine any odors and which present less health risks.
One of the problems in installing trash compactors is that the trash rooms in existing buildings are limited in size and shape and often cannot accommodate trash compactors of convenient design. Applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 8,362, filed Jan. 29, 1987, relates to an extrusion-type trash compactor having a compacting chamber arranged at an angle to the outlet opening of the trash receiving chamber, which arrangement reduces the overall dimensions of the unit and adapts it for use in smaller trash rooms or trash rooms that otherwise do not have a dimension large enough to receive a conventional trash compactor in which the trash is extruded along the axis of the unit.
Another problem with conventional trash compactors is that they are subject to blockages, and clearing the blockages can be difficult and dangerous. For example, one way to release a blockage is the use of a de-jamming block, which is a large steel block that is inserted at the input of the compacting chamber. For this purpose the trash receiving chamber of the compactor is provided with an access opening through which the de-jamming block is introduced. The ram is then operated to force the block through the compacting chamber while the operator attempts to control the block and clear the blockage. This is inherently dangerous and can result in injuries.
Fire is also a problem in trash rooms. If a fire is started while the room contains a large amount of loose trash or if the trash has become blocked in the hopper leading into the trash receiving chamber and backs up to close the exit from the chute and thus accumulates in the chute, the fire can be severe since the chute acts as a chimney and also spreads the fire through the building. Moving the trash more quickly from the trash chamber and into a compacted mass and preventing blockages that would cause the trash to backup into the chute reduces the exposure to fire.